This invention relates in general to the field of wheeled litters for transporting immobile large animals, and more particularly to such litters which can be collapsed very close to ground or floor level to facilitate placing an animal thereupon, and subsequently raised under power or manually for transporting and transferring the animal to a treatment table.
Lifting and transporting an immobile, injured or sick large animal without causing the animal discomfort or aggravating an injury is difficult. So an apparatus for lifting and transporting large animals in comfort is needed. (As used in this document, the word "large" includes animals of about seventy-five pounds or more but refers in general to animals which, if sick or injured or disabled due to age or some other reason, are large enough to present lifting and transportation difficulties to a handler.) Particularly for veterinarians, animal clinics, animal hospitals, humane societies, canine units and zoos, there is an urgent need for such an apparatus.
With this invention, large immobile animals can be lifted and transported with relative ease and without causing further injury or unnecessary discomfort to the animal. It provides a way for a single person of ordinary strength to lift a very large, prone animal from the ground or floor and transport it. A significant advantage is that this invention has two components, a wheeled cart and a wheeled lift. The cart is light-weight so it can easily be carried over the rough terrain. The cart is also easily maneuverable to transport an animal over the rough terrain to the lift which is more suited for smoother surfaces. The cart can be rolled over the lift and carried by the lift without the need to transfer the animal from the cart to the lift. Preferably the lift is designed to elevate an animal weighing up to 300 pounds to a level of approximately 40 inches. This is sufficient to allow treatment to be conducted on a large animal while it remains on the lift, or the animal can be easily transferred therefrom to a treatment table. In its lowered or collapsed position the lift is compact, allowing it to be easily stored in a vehicle.
Other advantages and attributes of this invention will be readily discernable upon a reading of the text hereinafter.